Battle Against Complacency

“Complacency is a tool formed in the pit of hell, used by the enemy to render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.” ~ Tracy Keck


Several years ago, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Pastors and Leaders School, hosted by Phoenix First Assembly, a wonderful church in Phoenix that does outreach to poverty-ridden and crime-filled areas. It offers help and hope through ministry to gangs, prostitutes, substance abusers, runaway youth, the homeless, prisoners, etc, with phenomenal results. While there, I saw what a difference Christ makes in the lives of those who really encounter him. I saw living examples of the Scripture one who’s been forgiven much loves much (Luke 7:47). And I left there with an awareness of how crippling complacency can be. The above quote is one that was included in my testimony to my church, about my experience.


Since then, I have kept that statement near to my heart, to remind me to be vigilant against the lull of complacency. I have seen how I can apply it in many situations. We Christians can be good people who really make a difference in this world, if we choose to look beyond ourselves and our current situation. Not everyone is meant to be on the front lines of a cause (though certainly some of us are), but we can support others who are, through our gifts of money and prayer. Once again, this hit home to me, just this weekend.


We went to a prayer meeting at our church on Saturday evening. When we got there, we discovered it was to be a bit different than normal. They began by showing a video of people who face terrible persecution for being followers of Christ in Iran. I have to be honest here, I had no idea there were even Christians in Iran, and I certainly didn’t have a soft heart toward Iran. After all, the Muslim extremists there have made their feelings and intentions toward both the U.S. and Israel pretty clear. But there are Christians there. And in the face of intense persecution and martyrdom, the Christian movement there is growing in both numbers and strength. (Of course Iran is only one of the many nations where Christians face persecution.)


Through this sad but hopeful, eye-opening video, I remembered once again, that we American Christians are blessed. And in some ways, I think our blessing is also a curse. We have freedoms and liberties that many only dream of. We have tons of churches to choose from and hop between. Most of us have multiple Bibles that we might read, but then again we might not if our favorite TV show is on, or we have something else to do. Because we have so much freedom and so many options, I think we mostly tend to take them for granted, and can even be contemptuous about them. Because our churches and Bibles are so readily available to us, we simply don’t use and treasure them the way we should.


This is not true in countries that do not enjoy religious freedom. If you choose to have a Bible in a country where you could be killed simply for having it, you’re probably going to read it faithfully and treasure it as one of your most precious and important possessions. If you could be abducted, thrown into jail and tortured for merely going to a Christian church, you’re probably not going to be inclined to leave it just because Sister So-and-So hurt your feelings. If you speak out for Christ and righteousness in a regime that is intolerant of it and you face most certain execution, it is highly likely that you are living for far more than yourself.


The wonderful and amazing part of all this, is that God is moving mightily in persecuted regions. I’ve heard it said that a church that is not afraid of martyrdom and persecution knows what it is to live for Christ. When people understand the reality of dying for something they live for, death loses its hold on them. When the body of Christ sees the most powerful moves of God, following the tragic loss of its leaders and members to martyrdom, how can they not be encouraged by the Comforter Himself?


It is easy for us to be complacent about the body of Christ, here in America. After all, our problems here really aren’t all that significant. But if we look beyond ourselves and beyond our borders, we can see clearly what our brothers and sisters in Christ face just for following Him. We may think there is nothing we can do, so we just do nothing. But there is something we can do. We can refuse to live in complacency. There are organizations we can support with our finances and our prayers. And most importantly, we can pray for those who are being persecuted. Prayer really can make a difference.


If you would like to join in praying for the persecuted church, but don’t really know where to begin, there is a great organization that can help. The Voice of the Martyrs has a monthly newsletter, with stories of those around the world who suffer persecution. Simply visit the site and sign up for the newsletter and it will be delivered to your home free of charge. You may also donate, if you feel inclined. Is it informative? I think so. Will it break your heart? I hope so. In addition, if you would like more information specific to Iran and the Muslim world, please check out Elam Ministries. They are bringing the Light to a very dark part of the world.


And remember, “Complacency is a tool formed in the pit of hell, used by the enemy to render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.” Battle against complacency and win with compassion.